Eternity
by TouchedBytheAngel
Summary: Clara Oswin Oswald is trapped in the Eternity. A place where your mind turns against you, and erases your memory from those of others. Simbelmyne Alstair is a girl with a seemingly ordinary life that masks a past she doesn't even remember, and a strange alien intent on killing her. Clara has been forgotten by the man who forgets. And this time...The Doctor can't save her.
1. Chapter 1

The TARDIS was definitely wrong. It flew with sickening moans and occasional thumps. The Doctor was below deck currently, looking about with those ridiculous goggles on whilst Clara stood above shouting at him.

"I can't seem to figure out just what's wrong!" He finally called back.

"What do you mean, 'just'?" Clara demanded. "Is there more than one thing?"

"She's sort of…irritable," the timelord explained, finally popping his head back up.

"…The TARDIS is having a mood swing."

Simbelmyne already knew he was coming. She had dreamt about it last night, and she was thinking about it as she spread jam over buttered toast for breakfast.

The landlord was coming today.

She had paid half her rent earlier in the month, but Mr. Rickman was like a hound in sniffing out unbalanced payments.

She straightened her sweater and picked out a piece of lint, already thinking she could hear greased leather slapping the pavement outside.

"Mind you, I don't know what's so _swingy _about moods anyway," The Doctor noted. "They're _inside _you. Is there a swing in you, Clara?"

"Wha-" she began.

"Of course not!" He cut her off cheerfully.

The TARDIS groaned and slammed to a halt, throwing them both forward. Clara's hand slipped from the rail and she tumbled forward, landing with an echoing THUD! On the floor below.

The time machine stilled, finally, and The Doctor picked himself up. "Well that was unexpected, wasn't it, Clara? Clara? Clara!" He spun around, not seeing her sprawled on the floor below. "CLARA!"

"I'm here, Doctor. Look down," Clara's weary voice came through.

The Doctor looked around, head upside down between his legs. Hi messy hair almost touched his knees. "Ah, there you are!" He rain lightly down the stairs and with a hop and jump was at her side.

"You okay?" He inquired, arm under her back as he inspected her.

"I'm fine-oi! Off!" She shoved his hand off her hair he was busy mussing up in search for bumps.

"But you could have an ouchie!" He protested.

"I'm fine," she smiled reassuringly and stood up.

"Good. Well, my TARDIS sure isn't."

"Wha' is wrong with her?" Clara wondered. "And how can she be having a mood swing?"

"Something, or someone, is upsetting her in the temporal energy. She can feel it even from far away, like the sounds of cicadas in the trees-it still gets on your nerves. She's lost her cool, eh? Haven't you, old girl?" He touched her console fondly.

The TARDIS did not deign to reply.

"Oh, now she's sulking," Clara guessed.

"_Sulking?_" The Doctor looked insulted. "She doesn't like-"

His words were cut off when the TARDIS plummeted towards the nearest world…

And Clara Oswald disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Simbelmyne was waiting when she heard the knock on her door. Dressed, fed and generally calm, she strode towards it. The tapping continued on the door…she wondered why. The landlord had a rather commanding figure and only needed to knock once.

She brushed back her sandy hair and opened the door, excuses at the ready. They died in her throat, however, when she saw the figure there.

His hair might have been brown or it might have been black, but as his face was covered in black smokey-stuff it hardly mattered. The skin of his wrists was quite white but his hands were smudged with the same black stuff. His clothes were dirty and greasy and eccentrically styled; tweed jacket, suspenders, combat boots and a bowtie that appeared miraculously clean.

"Hullo," he grinned. "Mind if I come in?"

Simbelmyne shut her mouth, then recovered. "Are you a landlord?"

The young man raised his almost nonexistent eyebrows and seemed to grasp the word. "No, I'm a timelord. Not a huge difference, I'm actually not the lord of anything. You were close, well, not entirely close, I don't know exactly who calls me a timelord."

"You talk a lot," Simbelmyne noted drily.

He grinned again. "Yes, I've been told that before. But you haven't answered the question."

"No, I lost count."

"Ooh," he winced. "That's extremely very much not good…I hate losing things."

"Did you get involved in a crash? And if so, did it hit your head?" She demanded. "Because you're not making any sense at all."

"Yes, I was in a crash, I may have hit my head, yes, that can happen if you don't keep up, and thanks," he responded with a cheerful shrug.

"What for?" She demanded, then yelped as he slipped past her into the house. "Hey!"

"Oh, I like your house," he almost cooed. "It's very cosy. Not much like my house; it's an unlimited dimension, so it goes on forever." He stretched out his hands to show his point.

"Mhm," Simbelmyne rolled her eyes. "Bathroom's that way, Walkie Talkie."

"_Walkie talkie?_" The man sounded insulted as he disappeared inside.

"Yup," Simbelmyne muttered, closing the front door. Or…almost did. A flash of something caught her eye and she stepped outside.

A blue box, like the telephone ones they used in the 40's was sitting by her sidewalk, bold as brass. Its bottom was covered with that same sooty black stuff as the man's clothes and face.

She frankly stared. She could only assume it belonged to the strange newcomer…and she didn't even know his name.

If Simbelmyne Alstair had been the blushing type, she would have. But a strange name combined with an equally odd morning had worn her resistant to unexpected blood rushes.

Her past was not without its blotches and her record was sketchy, but one thing she believed in for certain was living in the present. And at that moment a strange man was showering in her bathroom using her scented shampoo and leaving police public call boxes sitting around. _That _would not stand.

She went back into the house, shutting the door and going to knock on the bathroom one. She sniffed the faintest whiff of Audacious Gardenia shampoo and rolled her eyes again.

"Oi, Talkie!" She called.

"That is _not _my name!" He shouted back, voice sounding vaguely foggy.

"Then what is it?" She demanded. "That's the first in a very long line of questions."

"Doctor!" He answered. "Call me The Doctor."

"A Doctor of what?" Simbelmyne demanded.

"Uhhhh…time. And lots of other things. But mostly time."

"No, you said you were a _lord _of time," she pointed out. "Anyone come with you that I could ask?"

"Nope," was the answer, prompt and cheerful. "Just me and my box."

"Yeah…about that box. What is it and what's it there for?"

"It's complicated," The "Doctor" warned.

"I'm clever," she shot back.

She thought she could hear a faint chuckle from within. "It's called the TARDIS. It can travel anywhere in time and space…and it's mine!" the voice was gleeful as a child's now. Simbelmyne was really hoping she hadn't admitted an escaped lunatic into her house.

"Uhuh, and you travel through all of that alone?" She inquired, half-curious in spite of herself.

There was a pause. "I didn't once. I used to travel anyone I liked," he finished.

"So, why don't you now?" Simbelmyne demanded.

The Doctor opened the door, poking a dripping head through and immersing them both in steam. "I really can't remember at the moment," he answered a touch mournfully. "But I kept losing them."

Simbelmyne looked at his dripping form and finally took pity. "There's some clothes of my dad's put away…I'll hunt them up till yours are finished in the wash.

Thank you...?"

"Simbelmyne," she supplied. "Simbelmyne Alstair."

"Ooh, I love that name! That is a _brilliant _name!" The Doctor beamed.

Simbelmyne paused, having expected ridicule. "Really?''

"Yeah, of course!'' he smiled at her. "Bit long though… can I call you Mina?''

She considered this option. Stacked against the usual Simbel or even Simmy it seemed rather nice. "If you like," she shrugged coolly. "There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry," she informed as she headed towards the stairs. "I'll be back in a mo."

"Okay!" He called at her retreating form, rubbing his hair dry and wrapping his borrowed bathrobe more tightly around himself.

As he inspected the fridge and its contents, he kept thinking there was something missing. He saw a soufflé in the top shelf and sniffed it.

"Someone would have liked this…but who?" he murmured to himself. "Can't put my finger on it…this is hard."

Shrugging, he decided that such things were left for better times such as after breakfast. But he was still murmuring to himself.

"In fact, this may be downright _impossible._"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Clara Oswin Oswald was in the Eternity state. A regrettable state of affairs even at the best of times, and this was most certainly _not _the best of times. What was probably even _more _regrettable, however, was the fact that she did not know she was there. Funny things like that tended to happen when you travel with the Doctor long enough…where was he, anyway? In the place where she was, thoughts and words and actions were slowed, displaced and often in the wrong order. For instance, once she caught herself waving her hand, and then a few moments later the thought to actually wave her hand caught up with it. People who lived in the Eternity state seemed to gradually lose track of their beginning or end. Loved ones went unmourned, hated ones were ignored and memories faded out, like a blue shirt washed too many times.

Clara didn't mind the eternity state one bit. In fact, she hardly cared about it at all. The only problem was that she hadn't remembered entering the state or why she had been pulled in.

There was a vague memory of "Temporal energy", and shouting someone's name until she was hoarse. But that was…that was…

An eternity ago.

There didn't seem to be anyone else actually living with her in the Eternity. Just her and…_her_.

The girl had no name. She did, though, have soft light hair that curled around her neck and quiet brown eyes. When Clara had first seen her, she had felt suspicious, but now she was quite used to her and even wondered if she could speak. She hadn't so far, but really, there was not much else to do. Why did it give her a queer sense of déjà vu?

The girl's eyes stared at Clara mutely, as if she had a million words in her head but couldn't get out a single one. Clara finally decided to start first.

"…Hullo," she ventured cautiously.

The girl blinked and kept watching.

"Are you lost…little…girl?" She faltered slightly; the girl's silence wasn't exactly encouraging conversation.

The girl took a deep breath.

"_Can _you even talk?" Clara demanded, somewhat exasperated.

She turned away to look at the landscape around them. It was grey, and soft, mottled with shades of charcoal and lavender.

"I am not lost, or little, I obviously can talk, and _you're _not making a very good first impression," a retort startled Clara into whipping back around. There was only the girl, looking back at her.

"Did you say that?" she almost whispered.

"No, that rock over there did," the girl answered drily.

"Really?" Clara was suddenly aware of how idiotic the question sounded, but she was getting desperate for conversation. It took far more than a talking rock to surprise her at this point…

The girl's voice was almost physically dripping sarcasm. "Are most people like this? I confess; when they gave me the Eternity, I was disappointed at the lack of people. I am beginning to reconsider."

Clara looked offended, but her curiosity won out. "What did you say this place was called?"

"The eternity," the girl repeated.

"Annnnd….wha' is it?" Clara pressed.

"Look around you," the girl commanded.

Clara did so, turning and craning her neck. "Yeah?"

"You might say it goes on forever," the girl smirked. "Everything around you is it."

"How did I get here," Clara fought off her rising panic.

"You might want to consider relaxing before I tell you," the girl warned.

Clara tried to calm down. "Okay. Not panicking. The Doctor doesn't panic. Usually."

"I hope you took note of his example," the girl said coolly. "Because you won't be seeing him again."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Custard?" Simbelmyne raised her eyebrows.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded furiously. "And-slash-or-fish fingers."

"I'm a single college-grad girl, not a restaurant," Mina retorted.

"I know," he sighed mournfully.

His expression was so pathetic that Simbelmyne relented. "I'll check the fridge," she grunted, pushing away her cereal bowl. This strange visitor and her equally strange morning seemed to justify a second breakfast.

The Doctor beamed at her. "Thanks. How long have you lived here alone?" He inquired.

"So he's a stalker as well as a talker," Mina muttered.

He looked rather hurt. "I've never stalked anyone! Well, never a _human, _anyway."

"So you've just stalked non-humans," Mina poured custard into a bowl with a plop. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm not human," The Doctor announced coolly, as if stating the weather.

"You're not sane either, by the looks of things. Not that I'm saying it's impossible for aliens to exist, but a _police box? _That's pretty earthy, if you ask me," she persisted.

"It used to have this beautiful camouflage ability, but then it got stuck about sixty years ago and broke."

"So you're a time-traveler and alien too?" Mina was getting more and more confused (and irritated) by the moment.

"Yes, yes," he waved it off impatiently as if the argument was pointless and overused. "But anyway, it broke somewhere in the forties looking like this, and…well….ta-da!" he finished somewhat feebly.

Simbelmyne was looking genuinely worried now. "You're scaring me," she said quietly.

The Doctor's face fell. "I'm sorry," he whispered, fiddling with his long, slender fingers.

Mina stood quietly for a moment, trying to think of what to say. "But…if you could…if you could show me…this is a lot to take in, y'know," she laughed, a bit shakily.

He glanced back up at her, finishing his fish finger. "You might be a lot more scared if I did," he warned. "You should probably say No…"

Simbelmyne smiled. "Are you going to lead the way or should I drag you behind me?"

He jumped up like a puppy invited for a walk. "I have the key."

He ran to the door, throwing it open, revealing the bright sunshine.

And a man standing in the doorstep.

"Oh, hullo," the Doctor said brightly. "Can I help you?"

"No, but perhaps the resident of this house can," the man smiled thinly.

The Doctor cocked his head, "Just a minute-I'll fetch her," he promised. Then he shut the door all the way, leaving the man outside.

"Mina!" He called, going back into the kitchen.

She was washing dishes and looked up. "Yeah?"

The Doctor grabbed her arm, not roughly, but he pulled her towards him. She cried out and he shushed her with an air of urgency.

"Listen to me-I need you to listen," he said quietly. "There is an alien called a Slitheen outside who probably wants to kill you. And we have to leave-_now._"

"A what?" She gasped, pulling at her arm. "Who's trying to kill me? And why?"

"Argh…" he put his hands in his eyes. "Listen! There _are _aliens, have been for a long time, and one of them wants you dead, and we _have to hurry!"_

"WHY?" She yelled. "I don't understand!"

He put his hand over her mouth. "Please!" he begged. "Please, you have to trust me. I have met these creatures before, and I know how to handle them. You, on the other hand, don't, and will be eaten and digested in about five minutes if you KEEP STANDING HERE!"

Simbelmyne's face was the personification of a stunned animal just before having a car smash into it. But she allowed The Doctor to pull her away as the door (she had just painted it a week ago) shattered into splinters. A shape loomed in the doorway, its shadow at first enormous, then shrinking down to that of a man. He stood in the now-empty doorway, his expression confused.

"Simbel?" he called.

Simbelmyne froze, turning slowly around. The doctor jerked to a halt, whipping his head around. "What? What is it?"

"Doctor…" she said slowly, "that's not my landlord."

"I know; that's what I _said_," he answered exasperatedly.

"No, I mean…that's my brother," she whispered.

"No, it _was _your brother; it's an empty skin now," The doctor answered quietly, watching the man warily.

Mina's vision blurred and she tugged towards the man. "Doctor, it has to be him. It can't be anyone else."

"Then ask it something!" The Doctor shouted. "Ask it something only your brother would know."

Simbelmyne nodded, still pulling towards what he knew to be a creature inside a man's body.

"Rob…" she swallowed. "What did I get you for your sixth birthday?"

The man paused, wrinkling his forehead. "You're not seriously buying this, Simbel, are you?"

"Answer the question," the Doctor said in a low, dangerous voice. "You've caused enough pain already."

Rob scowled at him, then turned to Simbelmyne.

She nodded stiffly. "Answer the question," she said softly.

He looked at her for a moment. "A screwdriver," he answered. "Red, with a white tip."

The timelord's eyes widened, then pulled Mina away. "He's lying-it's lying," he cried.

In a few moments they were in the front yard, and Ron was following them, and he was opening the door, and as she jerked her arm away she fell inside.

She hit the cold floor with a thud, hands slapping down in an effort to catch herself. The Doctor locked the door, then knelt beside her.

"You okay?" He inquired, touching her arm.

She jerked away. "Get off me! What about my brother?" she shouted, angry tears from the pain springing up.

"I told you," the Gallifreyan looked confused and upset. "It's _not _human. You asked it the question!"

Simbelmyne stared at him. "But, Doctor, that's just it." Her voice was a whisper.

"He was right."


End file.
